Improvement in stove-boards, platforms



UNIIED S'IA'IES PATENT OFFICE?- HENRY PALMER, OF BBOOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN STOVE-BOARDS, PLATFORMS, &C.

Speoifieation forming art of Letters Patent N0. 197,490, dated November 27, 1877; -application file.

September 7, 1877.

' T0 all whom z't mag; conce1m:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. PALMER, of N0. 143 Lawrenoe streeo, Brooklyn, in ehe eounty of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Iinprovement in N0n-Heat0ondueting Tablets, Stove-Boards, 01 Platforms, whieh improvement is ful1y set forth in the following speoifieation and aoeompanying drawin g, in whioh Figure 1 is a plan or top view of the comp1eted platform. Fig. 2 i.s a bottom view; Fig. 3, a top view 0f the non-eonduoting body or support. Figs. 4 and 5 are seotional views cut 011 a diameter of the whole structure. Fig. 6 is a sectional view cut 011 a diameter of the sheet-top. Fig. 7 is the same With a variation in the method of forming 1311e edge of the sheettop, and Figs. 8 and 9 are top and seotional views of a reetangular platform, sheet, and support.

This invention relates to stove-boards, platforms, table-mats, 01 other non-heat-conduct' ing bodies or tablets, consisting of an underlying body 'or supporl: and an overlying sheet or 1:0p seeured thereto, and made round, oval, square, ob1ong, o1 polygonibl in form.

In such struetures it has been eustomary hitherto so eonneet the overlying sheet with the support'mg-body in 0ne of two ways: first, and earlies, by bending the Onter edge 0f the t0p. sheet, made of sheet ein, zin'e, 01 iron,

over and upon ohe edge 0f a wooden body, and

fastening the edge of the former 130 the edge of the latter by nails, taeks, 0'1 like instrumentalit-ies; seeond, later, and as an improve-' ment upon the former, by forming an exterior bead 01 slope upon the supporting-body, molding the top sheet thereto, so that 113 sha1] receive support therefrom, both as t0 it-s plain npper surfaoe and as to its molded edge, and

then turning a surp1us portion of the metal edge left for.the purpose, under the edge of the b0ttom of the body coneentrieally, so as 130 hold ehe two together withouo the aid of taeks or 1ike' instrumentalities.

The plan first mentioned. is orude o1 imperfeet, and does not resu1t in the tasteful struotures now required. both forpub]io and domestio nses. The last-menoioned plan is an improvement in these respeets, sinee obere are no fastenings, and no rough eorners or fo1ds 0f metal exposed to-view. It has, however,

interior body being usually made of wood,

when put into nse and exposed to the aetion of heat, the tendeney is so shrink away from the sheet-metal edge, and thus 1eave it more or less unsupported. When indentaion is onoe produeed 111 beeomes praetieally permanent, sinee it eannot be remedied without taking the two elements of the oomb ination apart and re-forming one orboth ofthem; and, finally, the p1an has a 1imited seop6 as to effeots, presenting a certain inevitable sa'meness in an exterior edge oovered W'ifl1 sheet metal, uniforma With the adjoining flat top surfaee in materia1, 00101, &o.

The objeet of my 'invention -is to prov1'de a plan of eonstruetion by whioh, while the top sheet is seenred c0 the underlying body by nails, taoks o1 1ike fastenings, they a re so 10- eatedas so be eoncealed from view,and yet perform their required functions; by whieh the amount of sheet materia1 required. and the amount of labor neeessary in working it may be lessened, while tl1e exterior edge 0f the body, which oan better endure and oarrythem, is exposed 130 blows, and the usual contaoos and wear, to receive co1ors 01 any desired sty1e of ornamentation, to shrink aocording 130 exposure and the natura of the material without inju ry to the strueture, and, finally, to permit an almost unlimited range of eft'eots by the eombination and harmony of oolors between the artie1e, the materialnpon which it m ay Test, and the surrounding furniture.

The invention eonsists in the ohannel 01 groove for reoeivingand. conoealing the edge of the top she'et, eut in the supporting-body; in the exposed edge or molding of the supporting-body itself; in the eombinaoion of a top sheet and a supporting-body, seeured togebher by inserting the edge of the sheet in bhe chan- 11e1 provided for it, and holding it therein by nails, taoks, 01 ot-her like instrumentalities the following disadvantages and. defeets: It

in a wooden body composed of segments, and

supporting body. I prefer to oonstruot this body 0f wood, and fron1 one-half to one inoh in thiokness, out in segments S S, am]. mad'e round, oval, square, or polygonal, tongued and groovod, and put together, as shown in the drawing, so as t0 furnish a leve1 top for the sheet to rest upon; but it may be made from plain boards of same thiokness, tongued, grooved, and secured together, side by side, in any known way and of any known shape, as oval, round, square, or polygona]. I give to the edge of this body, whieh I prefer to have solid, or composed of a single thickness 0f Wood, a beveled, roundecl, 01 any ordinafy molded form o1 shape. Upon its upper side, and at any desired distanoe (uniform 01 not uniform, at Will) from its outer edge, I out a ohannel, G, about one-quarter of an inoh in depth, and wicle enough 1:0 reoe'ive the edge of the sheet.

That part of the supporting-body whioh is exposed should be made hard and heat-proof, so as to endure rough oontaot in many instances. This I acoomplish as fo1lows: Tak ing a body made of pine 01 any soft wood, I first give that exposed part its proper and desired shape-say upon a lathe. I then subject it 130 the aotion 0f a burnishing-tool until the fibers of the wood are oompacted, hardened, and recluced to a glassy smoothness. I then apply thereto, while still upon the lathe, a preparation consisting of one part minera1 001- oring matter to five parts of shellao varnish, by meas1ire, and set it aside to dry. When dry I again burnish the exposed part until it is perfeotly smooth, finishing with a ooat of surface-varnish.

The eoloring matter employed may be of any, usual 00101 and I do not oonfine myself to the use of th6 precise preparation desoribed, but employ other known preparations for hardening wood, or giving it such a fire or heat proof surface as described. In some instances I ja pan fl1e wood in any clesired oolor or oolors, and thereafter subjeot the same to a proper degree of heat to hake and harden it suitably.

The sheet S, I out of the proper form, bat, say, fi0m one-quarter 120 three-quarters of an ineh larger tha-n the spaoe Within the ohannel O, so as to projeot beyond it 011 all sides. I then band this projecting edge of the sheet down at right angles to the rast of the sheet, taking care to out it at the corners o1 ourves wherever the ohannel and the natura of the sheet material requires it, as at the ourves D D, where the surplus metal may be removed by outting, or as at other plaoes, where a simple slit, D D, made by a single cut, 1nay answer; I then drop thisout edge E into the channel O, takin g pains to press it down therein u nti1 the sheet rests everywher.enpon the top of the bodyB, within the ohannel C. The sheet S and the body B are then seoured to- *gether by driving nails or brads N N, in the usual manner, through the turned-down flange of the sheet int0 the body B; '01 they may be driven straight in through the exposed. edge 0f the body B, an1l through the turned-downedge of the sheet into the body within, as at 'I 'l. O1, instead of outting the ohannel O into the body B, I deseribe it as a 1ine to bound. the exposed part of the body, and instead of turning the edge of the sheet down, as before described, I simply form it into 'a bead, oonforming to tl1is bounclary-line G, and then seo ure the sheet S to the body B by'nails, ornamental or otherwise. O1 the sheet S may be simp1y cut of a size to conform t0 the line Q, with a plainedge and, in the oase of pliable sheet materials, be oemented to the top of the body by suitable oement, or by paints of any kind.

In this way I obtain an edge, and also, if I wish, a border' for my platform, oomposed of the uncovered or exposed substance of its supportingbody, which may be eolored to match the earpet or other floor-covering, and which is not so easily indented and defaced as the exposed sheet-metal flange, whioh has hitherto biaen considered neoessary o1 desirable to extend over, upon, and under the edge of an interior body.

The part of the ohannel O whioh is outside of the turned-down portion of the sheet I fill with paint 0r cement, so as to hide it from sight orI acoomplish t11e san1e objeotthat is, conoeal the joint between the sheetand the supporting-bodyasfollows: I form the top sheet as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. In this instance the projeoting edge of the sheet is not turned down back t-o 01 on a 1ine with the groove or ohannel O, but to a uniform line outside of it, forming the doulole or folded rim R. It is then fo1cled up under the sheet S, to the extent of one-quarter of an inoh or more, and back 011 a line with the groove, as shown at H, and then turnecl down, inserted in the groove, and seoured, as before desoribed.

That part of the sheet S whioh is'turned down is out, and also nailed,as shown in Figs. 5 and 7.

I have prev1'ously made stove-boards as shown in Letters Patent of the Unitecl States granted to me, and. datecl August 12, 1873, in whioh an independent beading, molding, or f1ame is seoured to tl1e outside edge of the platform, leaving the surface of the'wood uncovered 01 exposed; but this invention diflers therefrom in-having an external and exposed edge formd from the supporting-body it'self, outside of a channel, O, in itstop, made to receive the edge of the top sheet. I thus obtain a mora solid edge outside the turned-down edges of the sheet, through whioh the nails pass 130 hold the body and the sheet together, and the heads of whioh are conoealed. from vie w by thau pa1t of be body whieh is 0111} side 0f the1n.

I e1aim as my invention l. An underlying 2u1d supporting body of a nonheat-condueting mat, tablet, platform. 0r stove-bomd, provided with the channel O.

2. The improvement in the art of making mats, tablets, platforms, and stoveboards consisting in channeling the upper surfaee of the underlying and supporting body i1;self, in the manner and f0r the purpose seo forth.

3. A wooden supporting-body 0f a stoveboard or platform, provided with an external exposed edge, formed. from the supportirigbody itself, outside 0f a channe1, G, in its top, made to receive the edge of a top sheet.

4. As an improved artiele 0f 'manufaeture, a non-eondueting platform, consisting 0f a top 0f sheet material, S, combined with an underlying and supporting body, the edge of the former being turned down and. inserted in the ehannel G, and secured in place by nails, screws, 01 like instrumentalities, as sei; forth.

5. The cqmbination, in a non-conducting platform, 0f an underlying .and supporting body consisoing 0f the'z segments S S, with the sheet-material t0p S applied thereo, substantially as and for the purposes sei; forth.

. 6. As'an improved artic1e of manufacture, a non-eonducting platform, consisting of a supporting-body provided with an exposed. external edge, 2u1d 0f a top sheet provided With edges, turned down, inserted in a chzmnel in the upper side of the supporting-body, and secured thereto by tacks, nai1s, 0r other like instrumentalities, aus shown and described.

7. An underlying and supporting body, B, provided with a ehannel, C, in combination with an over1ying sheet provided with the folded rim R, covering und eoncealing the channel O, as shown 2md described.

In testimony whereof I h2we hereunto subseribed my name this 6th day of September,

in the year 187 6.

- HENRY L. PALMER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE S. SKILTON, GEORGE A. HAMMEL. 

